Nightly Hundred Grand 15th Place

It sounds nice, and a $1000 win is nice, but it's extremely extremely frustrating. I played the 70k guarantee on Stars Wednesday night. It paid the top 180. I came out 205th when I had J-J and tried to beat 10-10 after getting it in preflop. 10 on the river and I'm outta there. But what it did do is motivate me to play some more tourneys. After winning the 50k guarantee on Tilt in December, I don't know if I've played 15 tourneys since. And I've done pretty good in live tourneys also but don't play hardly any. Well anyway, I'm a little motivated to try and play more now. So tonight I sat and played the Nightly Hundred Grand on Stars. You start with 3k in chips.. about 15 minutes into it, I was down to 800. I caught A-K and lost with trips to A-Q who had trips and a pair of queens. A couple of hands later, I rivered a gutterball to more than double-up. The very next hand I catch KK and double up again. I went from 800 to over 4k in an instant. And never really looked back. I never caught AA(even though I prayed like a SOB for them). Or a set or any monster hand. I just kept chipping away and making some small winners.

Not long after we got into the money, I played one hand where I coulda busted. I called a min-raise from my BB with 10-7o. The flop came 8-5-2.. I checked... PFR checked.. the turn was an 8. I checked, PFR bet. I raised. He called.. River 2.. I shove.. he thinks and mucks. That hand was one of my only real bluffs. I was so confused of what to do on the river.. because the pot was big and he only had 10k left. The turn bet was 6k. So I knew he had to call with a lot of hands. But if I didn't shove, I knew I was beat and I'd be below average. Luckily he mucked.

I laid down 99 late after I 3-bet preflop. The original raiser shoved. I thought forever and mucked. He showed AcKc. I'm still not sure what I should have done there.

And my last hand was questionable. We're playing 7-handed and the cut-off raised. I was on the button with K-Q0. I shoved. Blinds fold. He calls and shows A-Q. And he wins. I didn't have to shove there. But I was one of the shorter stacks. This guy's range is pretty open with a raise from the cut-off 7-handed. And even if he calls with A-J.. 10-10.. J-J.. or any smaller ace.. I'm not in terrible shape. He happened to have me dominated. I actually flopped open-ended, but failed to spike a 9, A, or K. I'm ok with the play. Mainly because I was getting short. But it sucks either way. To make it down to 15 out of 702 players is quite an accomplishment.. But it always feels like such a waste.

Oh well. On a side note.. They're down to 5 players now and this guy paulsl is still in it. This guy chopped the Sunday Million this past Sunday. I know this final table won't be as nice of a payday, but he seems to be on quite a heater. And as I'm typing this he got it all-in with 7-7 v.s. QQ and spiked a 7 for a monster pot. Then 4 hands later he gets AA v.s KQ.. King high flop and they get it all-in. I'd say he's running good. Ha. Anyway, down to 4 and he's the chip leader. Ok now he's chopping the damn thing.. Two (wins) in a week. Nicely done.

Oh well. I did well and think I played ok. I'm looking forward to the absolute grind that is tournament poker. See ya on the felt!